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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEDAC Meeting Minutes 01-29-10o~ P~o~ ~ Economic Development Advisory Committee ,~ ~ Meeting Minutes January 29, 2010 ~rNN~P 1. Call to Order: Chair Howard called the meeting to order at 7:35 a.m. Present were: Deno Howard, Bob Facente, Troy Presley, Terry Gutowski, Adam Blahnik, Mary Viereck, Ron Ciminski, Joe Passofaro, William Henry, Mike Myser and Frank Boyles. Bruce Capra was absent recovering from surgery and Sandi Fleck had family business to attend to. 2. Approval of December 10, 2009, Meeting Minutes. Howard suggested three amendments to the minutes: correct spelling of Viereck name, clarification on the statement that retention interviews should focus onnon-Chamber members, and that the Super Dragon and Montessori interviews are moved to business recruitment rather than retention. Motion by Blahnik, second by Viereck to approve the minutes with the three amendments. Passed unanimously. 3. Old Business a. Land Inventory -Boyles committed to email the land inventory to committee members. b. Draft 2010 EDAC objectives -the Committee discussed the meaning of `presence" at certain events. The Committee concurred that it means one or more members are present and active. Civic organization and business events were discussed. Annual Chamber membership meeting was cited as a civic event. Discussion ensued regarding Lakefront Days, Rotary Jazz Festival, SCALE meeting, Franchisor's meeting and Women's Expo. The Committee agreed that these items should be included on the EDAC agendas as a new item entitled "Upcoming Business, Civic and Community Events." Passofaro suggested that the Committee add an annual reception for business representatives from 5-7 p.m. The event would be catered with a cash bar. Passofaro and Blahnik agreed to prepare plans for such an event to review with the Committee in February. Motion by Presley, seconded by Henry to approve the 2010 EDAC objectives with additions for Council consideration. c. Revised Marketing Piece Passofaro stated the revised document needs a gook." He asked about information regarding the average building and land price per square foot. Discussion occurred L:UOFILES110IDF.~-"+P,-SinuteslrrtinutesJanuat}r 29, 2Al0.doc about when the piece would be used (civic meetings, community visits, personal interviews). It might also be handed out at the Chamber office or City Hall. Discussion occurred about whether a marketing piece would be appropriate for various kinds of business -retail, warehouse, etc. Howard, Gutowski and Passofaro agreed to meet to refine the brochure. d. Questionnaires Howard described how the questionnaires would be used with the first page given to the City for entry into a summary record and the second page retained by the EDA surveyor. Passofaro suggested mailing questionnaires. Presler preferred face-to-face. Discussion ensued about how both in-person and by-mail could work. A suggestion was made that a list of lost businesses is needed. Howard asked that EDAC members email completed surveys to tboyles~cucityofpriorlake.com so they can be entered into the database. Boyles asked to contact members who have interviewed to get copies of completed questionnaires for entry. Facente asked about leasable land inventory. Passofaro believes the Committee should tell Council what can be done to improve the business environment. Myser asked about the goal and objectives of the survey and whether there is a focus on a specific area. Questioned how we can tell where that should be. Passofaro stated our efforts have to be systematic. Need to look at our businesses by area (downtown, Deerfield, Gateway, South Lake Village, 13 / 42). The Committee agreed to focus its interviewing on areas starting with downtown. Boyles will inventory downtown businesses and send a list for EDAC members to select from for interview. The following Committee members volunteered to complete interviews: Passofaro, Henry, Gutowski, Facente, Viereck, Blahnik and Howard. When the inventory of businesses is distributed, Committee members will email the City with the businesses they will interview before the February meeting. 4. Other Business None 5. Staff Update a. Development Status Report -Boyles reported on Svoboda plans to build a 200' X 400' building in the Township with unimproved outdoor storage. The remainder of the report was deferred in consideration of time. b. Business Subsidy Policy -this will be considered at a future meeting. 6. New Business a. Retention Interviews b. Recruitment Interviews Interview sheets were handed in for entry into database. Meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Next meeting: Friday, February 26.